"You're a jerk, but you're not a monster."
The wind started to blow, fanning the fire as Eirin moved closer to the young man. "You're not a monster," she repeated, causing Shade to look at her and witness the smile she wore as she stared at him.
Shade's eyes went wide and his pulse began to pound erratically as he could feel the warmth of Eirin's body merging with his.
"You're not a monster," she repeated.
The flames slowly vanished, and Shade witnessed how Eirin's skin was starting to peel off due to the heat. His red eyes shimmered as if tears were about to fall. He moved away from Eirin, staring at her wounded cheek.
"You…"
Shade reached out his hand, but when he saw how burned his palm appeared, he pulled it back.
"Scarlett will heal your wounds," he said as he stood up.
Seeing the abundance of miasma in the air coming from the direction of the village reminded him of how he lost himself earlier.
"We should leave this place."
Shade grabbed Eirin's shirt and pulled her to the opposite end of the forest. "There must be another village nearby. They can heal you there, he said, trying his best not to touch Eirin with his burnt hand.
"What about you? Your hands are burned to ashes."
Shade ignored her words and continued pulling her away from the hidden village of Dalry along with the flames that started to fade.
"What about the people? They needed help."
"Scarlett would help them."
Eirin could not say a word anymore as the two of them continued walking on the path they had never taken before. Under the bright moonlight and the chilly wind accompanying them, Eirin stared at her palm and her eyes soon widened.
"We're tainted with miasma! We cannot go somewhere else!"
The teenage girl pulled Shade back, her sudden outburst of strength overpowering the young man. She pulled him back towards the hidden village of Dalry. However, as they grew closer, the miasma grew denser.
"No!"
Shade pulled himself away from Eirin. "Leave me," he said while holding onto his head. "Hurry! Run!"
Black flames erupted from Shade's back, merging into a monstrous, bat-like wings as he crouched, clutching his head. His burnt arms were veined with pulsing black marks, creeping across his skin like a spreading rot, reaching his face. He screamed as he finally crumpled to the ground.
Eirin ran as fast as she could, no hesitation. She knew it was different than earlier. The man in front of her was not the same Shade Cromwell anymore. His flames, once a vibrant red, now burned a pure, terrifying black, devouring the light around them.
"Run! As far as you could—away from me."
The teenage girl's breathing grew heavier as she ran as fast as she could. Huffing and puffing, she screamed in fear. She wanted to believe in Shade, that he wouldn't kill her no matter how angry he was… but this time, the vacant, blood-red intensity in his eyes screamed otherwise.
This time, he wasn't himself.
"Help! Anyone!"
Eirin's earlier injuries, sharp as they had been, faded to dull aches, overshadowed by the surge of adrenaline that driven her away from the pure menace Shade Cromwell had become.
Eirin's lungs burned as she spotted the faint, welcoming glow from the hidden village of Dalry.
A hand, brutal and unyielding, clamped onto Eirin's back, yanking her down. She screamed as she instantly fell flat to the ground. Eirin panted, clawing desperately at the dirt to crawl away, but Shade flipped her with ease. His eyes, now entirely devoid of recognition, were wide, bloodshot, and a thin, glistening stream of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, evidence of lips savagely bitten.
Eirin stuttered, a choked whisper of Shade's name, but the young man's hands, cold and strong, closed around her neck. Her eyes were starting to roll back, vision darkening at the edges as her lungs screamed for air.
The teenage girl kicked the young man hard in the stomach, a desperate, flailing blow that made him momentarily loosen his grip. Eirin seized the chance, driving her fist right into his face.
"You almost killed me!"
Eirin coughed while holding onto her neck. Her eyes were blurry but she could vividly see how the young man had lost all control of himself.
"Wake up! You're not a monster, that's what you told me before, didn't you?"
Even after trying to talk sense into him, Shade appeared like he couldn't hear anything else. Eirin stood and backed away. The moment Shade's gaze landed on her, she bolted, and he was instantly behind her, a relentless shadow. Each desperate stride felt like her last, her lungs burning, the cold certainty of death brushing her heels.
Shade then pulled Eirin's arm with brute strength, dislocating her shoulder, causing Eirin to scream.
"You're hurting me! Stop it!"
A chilling smile stretched across Shade's face, his hands once again crawled towards Eirin's neck. The wind grew stronger, a frantic gale attempting to tear Shade away, but the young man's grasp on Eirin's neck was a vice.
Shade straddled the teenage girl, laughing, a sound lacking of mirth. As the world began to fade black around the edges of Eirin's vision, her throat crushing.
Eirin knew it would be the end of her if she didn't act now. With desperation, she yanked the small cutter hidden beside her leg and plunged it immediately into Shade's arm. He didn't even flinch, his expression blank as the blade sank into his flesh.
The teenage girl stared in horrified disbelief as she continued kicking Shade's back. When Shade's grip finally loosened, Eirin scrambled away, crawling with every ounce of her rapidly fading strength.
"Y-You! I almost died!" Eirin screamed, holding the bloodied cutter. "T-That was self-defense, okay!" she hastily clarified, even to herself, justifying the desperate act of stabbing the young man to escape.
The young man slowly stood, his arm dripping dark blood onto the scorched ground. "Hah! What is this feeling?" His voice, a low, rasping growl, sent shivers down Eirin's spine. Shade laughed, a chilling sound, and the smile on his face stretched impossibly wide, a grotesque mask of glee as he stared at Eirin.
"Would this thirst be quenched if I kill you right here, right now?"
Eirin backed away, her gaze locked on the young man, analyzing him for any quiver of recognition. When his blood-red eyes locked on hers, Eirin's eyes went wide as Shade charged at her.
The teenage girl instinctively swung her arm, and a shimmering blade of condensed wind materialized, whistling as it sliced across the young man's knee, forcing him to buckle and crash to the floor.
Eirin huffed and puffed as she stared at her hand. Her heart thumped loudly as she watched the young man lay on the ground while losing blood. If this continues, Shade will die due to blood loss.
"H-Hey, you're going to die if you keep this up."
Even though the teenage girl tried to talk it out with Shade, the young man laughed and said, "I need to kill you to escape this never-ending headache."
Despite his leg being almost cut in half, Shade rushed towards Eirin. This time, the teenage girl didn't know how to defend herself.
Eirin, with her agility, dodged every punch the young man threw. Tired of being at the receiving end, she threw a punch at the man and hit him right on the face.
"I—I didn't mean to."
The young man laughed, leaving Eirin confused and terrified. Blood dripped from Shade's nose as he stared at the teenage girl, amusement shone in his eyes.
Even though terrified, Eirin tried to attack the young man this time, just enough to make him lose consciousness, but all her attempts were futile.
"Die for me."
A blinding, radiant light bloomed right in front of Eirin's face, consuming her vision as she stood there, helpless and frozen.
"Duck!"
Eirin felt someone's hand on her back, a firm, forceful push that sent her sprawling to her knees, barely dodging a huge ball of fire that flashed past where her head had been. The teenage girl huffed, scrambling up to look, and saw Shade grunting as he floats in the air.
"That was close."
When Eirin looked to her side, her blurry vision finally focused on a man wearing a black mask that covered his entire face. Who was it?
"Are you okay?" His voice, muffled but urgent. "The reinforcements have arrived." With those words, the unbearable tension that had gripped Eirin's entire body snapped, and the last trace of strength drained from her limbs as she slumped in utter relief.
Even though hesitant, Eirin trusted the man in front of her as he carried her towards the town. She closed her eyes due to exhaustion and could only hear the breathing of the man with the mask.
Despite what happened, Eirin could feel the energy flowing through her, weirdly making her regain her energy the closer they get to the town.